Although Leon Edwards is the champion of the UFC's welterweight division, he still has one opponent on his mind. Edwards wants to resolve his business with Jorge Masvidal in the future, which is perhaps not unusual. Since both athletes competed at a UFC event in London in March 2019, they have been at odds with one another. Following the performance, Edwards and Masvidal got into a fight backstage that became known as the "Three Piece and a Soda" incident. In a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, Edwards reminded viewers that the conflict with Masvidal was still ongoing. “Not with him,” Edwards answered when asked if it’s generally cordial between all the fighters. “Not with Masvidal, that’s what it is, that’s beef. I don’t like him. We had a scuffle backstage; we threw a few shots. That was in London, my hometown. “But they took him and moved him and hid him and he fled my country, and I haven’t seen him since. That was three years ago.” Since then, Edwards has maintained an undefeated streak that culminated at UFC 278 with a dramatic finish of Kamaru Usman in the fifth round to win the welterweight title. Masvidal, meantime, has emerged as one of the greatest names in the business after fighting Usman twice for the welterweight title and winning a "BMF" championship belt in 2019. Regardless of whether it takes place in a legitimate match, Edwards still wants to challenge Masvidal. “I can’t let it go,” Edwards said. “This was, like, three years ago. I have to get it back either in the octagon or on the street.” It's uncertain that Edwards and Masvidal will fight sometime this year, despite the fact that both are open to the idea. Masvidal recently urged Edwards to "stand up to the f****** plate". After reportedly attacking Colby Covington in March, Masvidal is trying to cope with legal issues, while Edwards is anticipated to face Usman in a trilogy fight. Usman won their first encounter in December 2015 before falling to Edwards in the rematch. Although the location of the third fight has not yet been confirmed, Edwards believes it will be at a London stadium. “I’m excited for that,” Edwards said. “To headline in the U.K. Sixty thousand people trying to get into a stadium show. It’s going to be big. I’m excited. This is the third time around. He beat me the first time by points, and I knocked him out the second time. Now we’re going back home on my turf and my backyard.” Things are turning out to be in favor of Jorge Masvidal. Despite being recently called out by Michael Chandler and facing Gilbert Burns in an anticipated fight at UFC Brazil, Masvidal remains on the hitlist of the newly crowned welterweight king. It would be interesting to see with whom the BMF title holder would be matched up by the UFC.

Khamzat Chimaev expects to have a very busy several months, with his aspirations of wanting to face Alex Pereira for the UFC middleweight belt and then fighting Colby Covington at welterweight a few months later. However, is this even remotely possible? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck covers Chimaev’s great ambitions for these two massive fights, and how they could go. What we know about the James Krause situation from UFC Vegas 65, the boxing match between Dillon Danis and KSI set for January, the possibility that Hasim Rahman Jr. dodged a big bullet by not fighting Jake Paul earlier this year, Jon Jones, the PFL World Championship event this Friday, what MMA fans are thankful for this year, and more are all topics brought up by listeners.

The final UFC programme of 2023 features a matchup between two prominent lightweights. UFC Fight Night 216 features a 155-pound bout between Drew Dober (24-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and Bobby Green (29-13-1 MMA, 10-8-1 UFC). The UFC Apex in Las Vegas will host the event on December 17. After the fight showed up on an ESPN listing (h/t Sherdog writer Tom Feely), MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with two sources on Tuesday. Due to the lack of a formal statement, the individuals involved have requested anonymity. Dober, 34, is coming into the bout on the strength of two consecutive knockout victories. With strikes in the first round, he knocked out Terrance McKinney in March. An unlucky body blow from Dober in Round 3 of their battle in July saw Rafael Alves knocked out. US Anti-Doping Agency suspended Green, 36, in May after he tested positive for a banned substance. If ingested by accident, Green recommended a supplement available at Walmart. Green has gone 2-2 in his last four matches. Green last fought in February, losing a main event bout to current UFC champion Islam Makhachev. With this new addition, UFC Fight Night on December 17 now features: Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland Damir Ismagulov vs. Arman Tsarukyan Amir Albazi vs. Brandon Royval Drew Dober vs. Bobby Green Julian Marquez vs. Deron Winn Tafon Nchukwi vs. Vitor Petrino Sergey Morozov vs. Journey Newson Albert Duraev vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Michael Morales Rafa Garcia vs. Hayisaer Maheshate Saidyokub Kakhramonov vs. Said Nurmagomedov Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Cory McKenna Alex Caceres vs. Julian Erosa David Dvorak vs. Manel Kape Jake Matthews vs. Matthew Semelsberger

Michael Chandler hasn't been shy about saying that he's willing to compete at weights above 155. Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has won over fans with his performances since joining the UFC team in 2020, regardless of the outcome. He has stated again that Conor McGregor should come next, but who else might catch his attention? Only one week since his Fight of the Night loss over Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler is already considering a rematch with UFC 'BMF' champion Jorge Masvidal. In a recent interview with ESPN, "Iron Mike" proposed the contest, urging "Gamebred" to risk losing the BMF championship to crown a new "baddest motherf-cker" for the UFC. Following two thrilling matches against Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje and his probable Knockout of the Year victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, Chandler considers himself a legitimate BMF contender. He imagines The Rock wearing the BMF belt around his waist, the same as Masvidal did after defeating Nate Diaz via TKO in 2019. In his last outing, former Bellator champion lost to Dustin Poirier by rear-naked choke submission in the third round at UFC 281, Chandler is looking to get back into title contention. While waiting for the perfect opponent, a move to Welterweight may be interesting. Perhaps a Jorge Masvidal partnership would work? “You tell me who the BMF (Baddest Motherf—ker) is,” Chandler told ESPN. “you tell me who the fans, if we did a poll right now, who’s the baddest mother fudger in the UFC? I’ve got a couple awards on my mantel right now. I think I’ll add a couple more — possibly Knockout of the Year, possibly Fight of the Year of 2023. But that BMF belt sure would look good next to them. “Is it a fight that I’ve really thought about a ton in the past? Not really,” he added. “But tell me that wouldn’t get the juices flowing of the entire mixed martial arts world: Michael Chandler versus Jorge Masvidal for the BMF belt, [Dwayne] ‘The Rock’ [Johnson] walking in with it over his shoulder and then handing it to me 15 minutes later. Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz in a third-round technical knockout in November 2019 to become the first and only BMF champion. Since then, however, "Gamebred" has struggled, suffering three straight defeats, and finding himself in legal difficulties regarding Colby Covington, his previous opponent. Despite being on a losing path, Jorge Masvidal remains in demand. Being an asset for the biggest promotion of MMA, Masvidal can help out with huge pay-per-view sales. On the other hand, Jorge Masvidal has been called out by Gilbert Burns for a while, but up until recently, he didn't seem interested in the fight. 'Gamebred' recently asserted that it couldn't respond to Burns' callouts because of its engagement in the midterm elections in November. Masvidal went on to say that he now wants to fight the Brazilian in London alongside Leon Edwards' championship defense against Kamaru Usman on the same card.

On January 28 at the OVO Arena in Wembley, Anthony Yarde will face the terrifying unified world champion Artur Beterbiev for the right to fight for the world title. On Saturday night, Yarde stopped Stefani Koykov in the third round and confirmed he will battle Beterbiev for the WBC, WBO, and IBF light-heavyweight crowns in London. With a second-round knockout win over Joe Smith Jr. in June, Beterbiev improved his record to 18-0 with 18 knockout victories. "I never back down from a challenge, and Anthony Yarde is a top contender who asked for this fight," said Beterbiev, who was defeated by Oleksandr Usyk at the London 2012 Olympic Games. "I look forward to fighting in London for the first time since the Olympics." "Yarde called me 'slow' after my fight with Joe Smith Jr, but slow and steady wins the race and on January 28, I will win in London." Yarde had Sergey Kovalev stop him in their lone 2019 battle for a world title, but the Hackney man is determined to surprise Beterbiev. "January 28 will be my night," said Yarde. "My destiny playing out in my home city, and this is what I have been longing for throughout my professional career, which started at Wembley. "I won't make any big predictions for this fight against a strong unified champion in Artur Beterbiev, but what I will say is that I will leave nothing to chance, and I am at my best when I fight fire with fire."

Boxing's undisputed middleweight champion, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, has revealed that he plans to make his comeback from a left wrist injury surgery in May. After his September rematch victory over Gennady Golovkin, in which he claimed to need surgery, the Mexican may seek a rematch with WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, whom he lost to in May. "Right now my idea is to return in May. I'm going to start punching in January to see how I feel and then after that, we'll see," Alvarez said. "The idea is to come back in May with a not-so-tough fight to see how I feel and in September to seek a rematch with Bivol which is the only thing I want right now in my career." The March winner of David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, as announced this month by the World Boxing Council, will be Alvarez's mandatory challenger. "We'll see what happens in the fight, it's very competitive, I think Benavidez wins, but my focus is on the rematch with Bivol," added Alvarez.

Zhang Weili wants to challenge flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, in a cross-divisional super fight. At UFC 281, "Magnum" successfully defended her strawweight championship via choke against Carla Esparza in the second round. The perfect candidate to challenge Weili for the strawweight title would be veteran Brazilian Amanda Lemos, who is presently listed third on the strawweight rankings. To earn a champ-champ status, the Chinese star wishes for a super fight versus Shevchenko. She just disclosed the following to China Daily of Hong Kong: "I think it would be a great fight. It's one I've considered before. She is a very versatile fighter with a complete package. I hope it can be arranged whenever UFC sees fit." Weili hopes to face new rivals, but she also anticipates facing Rose Namajunas again after two losses to the previous champion. In April of last year, "Magnum" was defeated by Namajunas with a head-kick KO, and she later lost a replay by split decision. But the 33-year-old woman recovered with a spinning backfist KO victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, earning her a shot at the crown. Even without the battle with Shevchenko, Weili still has a lot to prove in her class. Despite having two wins against the champion, Rose Namajunas is unlikely to be allowed to defend her championship right away. Namajunas needs to prove herself after her dismal performance against Carla Esparza, where she lost the title earlier this year if Weili decides she wants a trilogy match versus "Thug". Zhang Weili was best renowned for her deadly striking abilities. But in her historic win over Carla Esparza by submission, Weili displayed a new facet of her abilities. Despite the enormous progress, her game has made, "Magnum" wishes to keep growing. She wants to add the ground control of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the wrestling of Carla Esparza, and the distance management of Jedrzejczyk into her arsenal, taking inspiration from her contemporaries. "For example, the ground control of Khabib [Nurmagomedov], the grappling of Carla [Esparza], and the striking range of Joanna [Jedrzejczyk]... I'd like to take them all if possible."

At ONE 163, Saygid Izagakhmaev of Russia improved with his impressive body of work by winning the biggest match of his professional career. The Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki was defeated by the Russian with a first-round TKO. Saygid also received a $50,000 bonus from the CEO of ONE Championship in addition to his largest win to date. Izagakhmaev wasted no time getting to work against an MMA great, defeating the former ONE lightweight champion in 86 seconds. Izagakhmaev delivered a strong right hand that knocked "Tobikan Judan" to the ground, making his ambitions apparent in the process. He leaped on his opponent and continued to attack him from the ground until the referee had to intervene and call time on the fight. After his impressive victory, the Russian spoke to Mitch Chilson inside the ring and expressed his regret to Aoki for everything disparaging he had said before the brawl: “When I said, ‘I kill you Aoki’, it’s only trash talk. Sorry guys, I love you, Aoki. I apologized to Shinya. I respect him a lot, he’s a legend, I learned a lot from him. First I thought that I should choke him out to get the bonus, but I was like ‘I’m just gonna finish it.’'' Izagakhamev is unquestionably the top contender for the lightweight world championship after going 3-0 in the ONE Championship. Christian Lee now is the reigning champion after winning two championships at ONE on Prime Video 4, which occurred shortly after ONE 163. Despite being in unfamiliar surroundings, Saygid Izagakhmaev has a wealth of expertise on his side. He couldn't have asked for two finer role models for his future than the current and previous UFC lightweight champions, Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, respectively. He is now a recognized championship contender. Izagakhmaev explained what having them in his corner means to him and what he has learned from the two dominant superstars in his post-fight interview: “These two guys have helped me a lot in my career. Everything that I do in my life, I first take advice from them. Let’s say when my opinion kind of clashes with theirs, I always follow them because they know what they’re doing. They have a huge background. Until now, whatever I have achieved in my life, this is because of them. Thanks a lot to them. And as I’ve said, I’m going to continue to follow them, and get the title.”

Austin, Texas's Moody Theater - Boxing newbie Greg Hardy (2-0, 1 KO) stunned the far more experienced Hasim Rahman Jr. by dropping, rocking, and decisioning him (12-2, 6 KOs) It was scored 39-36 by all three judges. After Rahman's original opponent, MMA legend Vitor Belfort, tested positive for COVID-19, Hardy accepted the fight on short notice. Hardy previously played for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL and won seven UFC fights. On October 8, Hardy won his pro debut with a second-round knockout. Rahman Jr., the son of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, was supposed to fight Jake Paul in August. Rahman's managers stated that he would be unable to meet the stipulated catch-weight of 205 pounds, and the match was called off. Rahman's fight with Hardy was his first since suffering a stoppage loss to McKenzie Morrison in April. Rahman started the fight with quick punches in the opening round. Rahman was punching and moving. Hardy, who was much slower, was rocked by a left hand but remained on his feet and continued on his way. When Hardy pressed Rahman against the ropes, he rallied with a variety of punches. Few of those punches connected because Rahman stopped them with his guard. Rahman was in deep trouble in the second when he was rocked by multiple powerful blows that appeared to be close to finishing him off. Rahman was able to withstand the attack. Hardy was exhausted from throwing so many punches. During an exchange, Hardy would drop a large bomb on Rahman. Rahman got back up and beat the count. Rahman delivered a strong counter and rocked Hardy again in the last seconds. During the third round, Hardy rocked Rahman with an uppercut that nearly knocked him out for the second time. As Rahman was flying backward and being held up by the ropes, the referee blew a knockdown call. Hardy was chasing Rahman as he tried to regain control of his legs. While Hardy was trying to land another powerful punch, Rahman was jabbing and moving. Both had early moments in the fourth and final round. Rahman was hit on the nose by a counter, resulting in blood. Hardy was working his way in with a jab, while Rahman, who appeared exhausted and hurt, was using his legs to circle the ring and steer clear of trouble, firing hardly no punches.

Is Idiocracy becoming a reality in the world of combat sports? That very well could be the case, as YouTube sensation KSI has been formally scheduled in a boxing battle against Dillon Danis. The fight will take place on January 14, 2023 at Wembley Arena in London, England, and will be broadcast live on DAZN. We've already had some buildup to this farce after Danis challenged KSI this past weekend, resulting in a skirmish. In addition, shortly after that occurrence, Anthony Taylor proceeded to punch Danis in the face, sparking a parking lot melee between opposing clans. KSI is technically 1-0 (Logan Paul), however this year he knocked out Luis Alcaraz Pineda and Brandon Scott in boxing exhibitions. I'm afraid this suggests that KSI is the more experienced veteran in this scenario and should be the favorite to win. This reminds me to remind you to keep an eye on betting sites for those KSI vs. Dillon Danis betting odds that will be available soon! Danis is a legitimate BJJ black belt, however, he is not known for his striking. Despite the fact that this will be his professional boxing debut, he has a perfect 2-0 MMA record. Both of those battles were with Bellator, but things became sticky on the feet for him before he drew his opponents into his world. Aside from the parking lot brawl, Dillon's previous fight was in 2019, therefore his boxing skills may have improved since then. It's a small chance, but hey, it's still a chance. What do you guys think about who wins this match up? Let us know in the comments.

Christian Lee demonstrated that he has a champion's heart. In the main event of ONE on Prime Video 4 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kiamrian Abbasov, the former welterweight champion, nearly prevented Lee from becoming a two-division champion. Lee, on the other hand, persevered and staged one of the year's best comebacks. Abbasov got stripped of the championship because he failed to make scale before the match, but 'The Warrior' was still qualified to win it because he did so before Friday night's main event. The bout had a series of ups and downs throughout the main event. Kiamrian Abbasov came out very aggressively in the first few seconds, putting his hands on Christian Lee right away. Lee tried to defend himself, but Abbasov easily avoided all of Lee's attacks. Abbasov was able to force his way back to his feet after Lee successfully executed a much-needed takedown to pause the action. Christian Lee started to connect as the momentum reduced, but he took a vicious hook from Abbasov and was knocked out. As Abbasov ran out of gas attempting to conclude, Lee was only thinking about staying alive. Lee escaped participating in the second round after securing a takedown late in the first. After a frantic opening round, the action slowed down, but both men continued to deliver powerful blows at the other. Abbasov was content to stand back and reply while Lee remained to be the one carrying things forward. After the second and third rounds were fairly evenly matched, Lee started to gain the upper hand by focusing on Abbasov's lead leg and landed several effective combinations and brutal elbows. Before referee Herb Dean intervened with less than a minute remaining in the fourth round, Lee had Abbasov reeling after landing a double leg, immediately mounting his rival, and landing a succession of elbows. After the triumph, "The Warrior" spoke with Mitch Chilson on his career-defining victory: “I give Abbasov credit man. He was the champion for a reason. Very tough dude. I left it in the ring. I can hardly carry these belts, but yeah, I didn’t know where I was, but a true champion never quits so I found a way to come back.” When questioned about pulling off such an amazing turnaround after nearly losing in the opening round, Lee responded: “It’s the training, man. There’s no way around hard work. That’s the truth. In the cage here, there’s no shortcuts. What you put in is what you get out. I have an amazing team. My coach, my dad helping me strategize. My little brother is the next champion right there. The list goes on. So many friends back home. My whole training room was full. I was able to get in great work. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to push.”

For a long time, Father’s Plan was on a launch pad. But it appears like it has been released. At first, Abdulmanap’s favorite student Islam Makhachev secured the vacant lightweight title in a fight against a former champion Charles Oliveira and on the other hand UFC Hall of Famer Khabib’s cousin Usman Nurmagomedov, who is still unbeaten, was awarded a title shot against Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire at Bellator 288. Usman Nurmagomedov wanted to win the Bellator championship to continue his uncle Abdulmanap's legacy and he won the lightweight title at Bellator 288's co-main event with a convincing victory over Patricky Freire. Usman Nurmagomedov, Khabib's cousin, became the first Dagestani champion in Bellator history, making it cause for celebration. Nurmagomedov had a commanding performance and won by unanimous decision. In addition to failing to land enough combinations to frighten the Dagestani, Freire was unable to respond to his grappling. The judges' tallies, which all gave him a 50-45 victory, demonstrated his superiority. As the current lightweight champion, the 24-year-old will defend his title throughout the next Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix. Who the other contestants will be and who he'll probably face in the first round are still unknown. Nurmagomedov emphasized the significance of capturing the lightweight championship in his post-fight talk. “For me, this is so important,” Nurmagomedov said. “… I’m so happy. A lot of emotions, you know? I just want to say thank you. Like, first of all, Alhamdulillah after. A lot of guys, everybody from around the world send me messages to support me. Thank you.” Both of Khabib Nurmagomedov's lieutenants are currently the current lightweight champions in significant promotions, demonstrating that he is still successful even after retiring. Since Usman also won the title with an unbeaten record, "The Eagle's cousin" resembles him. The 24-year-old prodigy praised the promotion for providing him the chance to compete for the title and both his team and trainers for helping him develop into the fighter he is today during his post-fight interview with "Big" John McCarthy: "Scott Coker, thank you for chance. And coach [Javier Mendez], you know everything coach, I love you so much. You guys make me...Thank you for my team. Thank you for my family."